Conventionally, there have been known an electric brake control apparatus and an electric brake control method as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2008-57642. In the conventional electric brake control apparatus and electric brake control method, when a brake friction body satisfies a condition set in advance, the amount of electricity supplied to an electric motor is controlled such that the electricity supply amount gradually decreases between a preset first electricity supply amount and a second electricity supply amount smaller than the first electricity supply, and a standby position of the brake friction body is set on the basis of the rotational speed of the electric motor during the period in which the electricity supply amount is controlled to decrease gradually. Thus, occurrence of dragging between the brake rotation body and the brake friction body is restrained.
Also, there has been conventionally known an electric brake apparatus as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2002-213507. This conventional electric brake apparatus includes contact detection means for detecting contact between a brake friction member and a brake rotation body in non-braking periods; and contact prevention means for driving electrical actuating means in a direction for separating the brake friction member from the brake rotation body by a predetermined amount when the contact detection means detects contact between the brake friction member and the brake rotation body. Thus, occurrence of a brake dragging phenomenon is prevented.
Moreover, there has been conventionally known an electric brake apparatus as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2006-213080. This conventional electric brake apparatus includes an actuator which generates a braking force through use of an electric motor; a thrust sensor, a rotational angle sensor, and a motor temperature sensor attached to this actuator; and a drive control apparatus which uses, as a part of input signals, signals output from these sensors so as to drive and control the actuator. The thrust sensor of this conventional electric brake apparatus is disposed at a portion where distortion is produced due to thrust force of a piston.